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Being asked to a job interview is always good news, but it often brings with it the dreaded nerves! I’ve compiled some simple job interview tips that will hopefully help you beat the nerves and land the job!

Research research research!

Even before you fill out an application or hand in your resume, hit the books and find out what you can about your new potential employer. Find out a few facts, and always try to go the extra yard. The candidate that can prove they have done the most research will often get offered the job. Once you have your researched info about the company, you can use it to write a tailor made resume or application for them. This is an essential job interview tip. Nothing impresses more than a resume that’s a perfect fit.

Sell yourself in your cover letter-

In 99.9{a94654c216672cf795b4204e7b66fcb4d362b012acd04e8457f03d02d9f1bb41} of cases, the cover letter is the first thing that gets read, so it’s where you make your first impression. A lot of people think they don’t even get read, but why would they ask for one if they weren’t going to read it? The cover letter is the perfect place to get your hooks into the recruiting department. Always remember to try and make yours individual, and have as strong an opening as possible. Most cover letters begin: “Dear Sir, I have seen your vacancy for xxx advertised and would like to apply.” With most people being uncreative like this it’s easy for us to stand out, eg-“Your company has advertised for a top performing sales person, and I am applying because I have been salesman of the year for my current employer for the last five years.” See how that would get their attention? As well as paying attention to the content of the letter, don’t forget the housekeeping-spellcheck spellcheck spellcheck. Would you employ someone who sent an application with errors? Me either.

Prepare for the questions-

One of the most important job interview tips is to prepare for the questions. Fortunately, many job interviews use the same or similar questions, so preparing for this part of it is pretty simple. Use your own past interview experience to visualize questions you will be asked, and also their answers, and there is also a wealth of info on this on the internet. Just remember to tailor your answers specifically to the role you are interviewing for. This is why we did so much research at the start!

Prepare some questions of your own-

You need to know about them as much as they need to know about you, so take some time beforehand to think up some of your own questions. A great job interview tip is to try to think outside the box a little here. Most interviewees will ask the same questions, so making yours different can really help you stand out. It’s also a good idea to make a note of your questions beforehand, and when the questions stage comes around, pull your pad from your inside pocket and read the questions from there, making notes as they answer. This little piece of social engineering will make them feel like you have made a lot of effort with your preparation.

Give them proof-

One of the most fundamentally overlooked job interview tips is that of giving them proof. Anyone who interviews for a job will make claims of being a highly efficient worker, super motivated, high achieving employee etc, but you can really set yourself apart if you can prove these things. Before the interview take some time to visualize your past working achievements, and how you can prove them. Once you have done this, you just need to work raising these points in the interview itself.

Job interviews really don’t need to be a big scary problem for people-if you can learn to follow and apply simple job interview tips like these, you can banish your interview fears for good.

Meta: Three important tips every retiree must read before searching for a job. Learn how to be more targeted in your job search, use your age to your advantage and the one interview problem that could cost you the retirement job you’re looking for.

Retirement Job Search Tips

Three important things every retiree should consider when looking for a job

Finding a job after retirement may seem counterintuitive to some, but for many it’s a necessity for financial reasons. For those who don’t need a retirement job for the money, it may be just to keep you sane. It can be easy to follow into the trap of treating your age as a liability, but believe it or not, it doesn’t have to be a detriment to your job search. Check out these three job tips for seniors to help you land your next job.

Leverage your relationships: What good is a lifetime of living worth if you haven’t met a few people along the way. Hopefully you’ve made a few friends and have a family you can draw on for job recommendations. Ask around in your social network to find out who’s hiring and what tips they can offer you. Maybe you have a kid or grandkid that can point you in the direction of an employer who is looking for daytime help. Your best chance of finding a job is by using the people you know to get your foot in the right door.

Remain professional: Regardless of the age difference between you and the hiring manager sitting across from you, be sure to keep up the formalities of interviewing. Even if the manager is old enough to be your grandkid, you don’t want to treat him like that. No one likes to feel patronized, least of all the person making the hiring decisions. Treating a hiring manager in an unprofessional way will make them question whether you will do the same with customers and clients.

Use your age to your advantage: There are benefits that come along with age, and we’re not talking about senior citizen discounts (although those are nice). Being retired means you’re available for shifts that students and teens are not. Supermarkets and retail stores have an especially hard time finding people to work shifts in the middle of the day, and if you can, that’s one more weapon in your job seeking arsenal. In addition to shifts, there are entire retirement job categories that your age could help you get. Home Instead Senior Care and Seniors Helping Seniors like to hire people with life experience and familiarity with conditions such as Alzheimer’s.

Job interviews are a two-way conversation. Some job seekers get so nervous about the “big’ event that they speak too fast and too much. You run the risk of rambling on about something the Hiring Manager may not even be interested in.

Here’s What You Do

Tip #1. Listen for the question and wait for the interviewer to pause before speaking. Make a mental note to not interrupt or start speaking until there is complete silence. Be sure you give him/her the full chance to talk. If it helps, smile before you begin. It will serve as a reminder to wait.

Tip #2. Pause frequently and allow the Hiring Manager to ask a follow-up question. Resist the urge to keep talking because you are afraid of silence. The interviewer is usually taking notes so any breaks you provide are welcomed so as much information can be captured.

Tip #3. Answer only the question asked and resist moving on to something else until you are probed. You should always be brief. As a guideline, stick to 3 points for every answer and speak for no more than 2-3 minutes for each question. If you need to, time yourself during your interview practice to get a feel of how long 2-3 minutes is.

Tip #4. Ask for permission to keep going. It is perfectly okay to check in during the interview and ask if he/she needs more detail or more clarification. After you have provided at least 3 points per question and have spoken for about 2-3 minutes, check in with the interviewer to see if you have provided enough information or if you should keep going.

Most Hiring Managers like to see that you are courteous and aware of the time limitations. For example, “That is an overview of my role in the project. Would you like me to tell you more about the project itself?”

Tip #5. Take time to breath. Be comfortable with momentary silence. It will give the interviewer an opportunity to digest all the information you are providing. Pause to smile, it will inject enthusiasm in your voice and release any tension you might be feeling.

The interviewer has an interview guide with a list of questions he/she must get answered in a very limited time. If you remember to limit your answers, you will appear more focused and assist them to get everything they need.

The last thing you want is to get through only three questions and have your time be up. Many Hiring Managers have back-to-back appointments and if you run out of time, your chance is gone.

Doing a job search can eat up a lot of hours. Some say you need to work at it eight hours a day in order to make it a success. But the internet can make job searching much easier for you. Instead of having to scan your local paper or trudge to your local job center each day, you can use the Internet to make it much easier for you. Here are some helpful job search tips that could help make your search a whole lot easier — and bring you better, more lucrative results, too.

Internet Job Search Tip #1 – Go Beyond the Paper

Where do you want to work? Not all companies post ads in the local newspaper when they’re hiring and even when they’re not hiring, they’ll often accept resumes so that the next time an opening comes up, they’ll have a list of potential candidates. Don’t wait for an ad to go out if you have your sights set on a particular company. Check their website. Most companies have a human resources section that you can check and find out about sending a resume, filling out an application online, etc.

Online Job Search #2 – Check Career / Job Posting Websites

There are job search sites that allow you to search by city, by category, by salary level, etcetera. You can scan jobs quickly on these sites on a daily basis and see what’s available. Many will have “new listing” option as well so that you don’t have to read through the same postings day after day.

Tip #3 – Post Your Resume

Post your resume on an online service. Many will let you post a resume or CV for free so that interested companies can contact you. This can be a great way to bring job opportunities to you. You’ll want to be careful that you post on a reputable site that obscures your personal details so that they’re not available for the world to see and in this case you’ll want to get top notch advice on how to position yourself to make people interested in contacting you.

Tip #4 – Subscribe to Career Alerts

Instead of scrolling through half a dozen job sites each morning, perhaps you can subscribe to particular categories so that new postings are sent to you via e-mail. This can save time and effort.

Before applying and interviewing for your dream job, make sure you have gone over the following interview tips:

Job Interview Tip #1: Update your Resume

Submitting an outdated resume will almost always eliminate you as a possible candidate. Below is a list of the top things to look out for when updating your resume.

1. Work Experience: If your last job was listed in 2005, most employers would assume you have been out of work for the past three years.
2. References: If an employer attempts to call an individual on your reference list and that individual’s number is not accurate, or that individual is unaware they are listed as a reference, you will leave a poor impression with employers.
3. Education: It is okay if you are in school, just specify when you expect to graduate. Further, if you have taken a break from school, clearly state that as well.

Job Interview Tip #2: Research the Company

You want to know more about the company than any other candidate, which requires a little extra effort on your part. Visit the company website and search engines to find:

a. Recent and past business dealings
b. Products and services
c. Company successes and failures
d. Changes in management and/or ownership
e. Their mission and vision
f. Their short term and long term goals
g. Who their customers are
h. Who their major competitors are

Job Interview Tip #3: Prepare for Job Interview Questions

The more you practice the more comfortable you will feel. Not only should you look into popular interview questions, but you should practice them in front of a mirror as well. Pay close attention to facial expressions and body language as they speak much louder than words.

Job Interview Tip #4: Dress Properly

Make sure you dress for success. Within the first ten seconds of meeting an employer, you will have already made an impression with an employer. How do you want them to view you? I suggest a nice pair of pants, a dress shirt and a tie, and if appropriate, a suit jacket.

Job Interview Tip #5: Arrive Early

Be sure to arrive 10-15 minutes early. Not only does it make a good impression but it gives you the ability to analyze the office. Pay close attention to:

a. Organization: Does the office, or waiting room, seem clean and organized or messy and stressful?
b. Employee Expressions: Do the employees seem happy, stressed, angry, upset?
c. Promptness: How long does it take before you are noticed?
d. Friendliness: How does the individual who notices you greet you? Do they offer you a place to site? Something to drink? When an employee walks by do they acknowledge you?
e. Professionalism: When you are greeted, does the greeter shake your hand? Approach you or yell for you to have a seat? Is the greeter chewing gum?
f. Effort: How is the office, or waiting room, organized and decorated?

Are you in the mist of a job search online right now? If so, you should be prepared to have some interviews scheduled soon. By applying for jobs that you are qualified for and by sending a good resume that shows you are an ideal candidate, you should get multiple calls for interviews. Online, you will find a number of good free job interview tips. However, some of the most important free job interview tips you should pay attention to are dressing the part. What should you wear to a job interview? Keep reading on for some suggestions.

The Job?

A lot of times, what you wear for a job interview should depend on the job in question. For example, some positions require the utmost professionalism and other jobs are more casual in nature. For example, you should still dress nice for an interview at Burger King, but a suit and tie is required for upper-level management positions at large corporations. So when it comes to deciding what to wear to an interview, keep the job and the company in mind.

The Work Attire?

There are some cases in which you should consider dressing for the interview like you would for the job. For instance, at clothing stores, most hiring managers are looking for a qualified yet trendy dresser. After all, you will be a good clothing salesperson if you know a bit about fashion. In this case, you want to opt for professional, yet trendy as well. When it doubt or when a workplace uniform is required, it is always best to go with a combination of professional and casual.

What Not to Wear?

As previously stated, a lot of free job interview tips online tell you to take the current dress code and job position into consideration when it comes to deciding what to wear. However, there are some things that you should never wear. Such as? Revealing or low-cut clothing (for women), jeans, dirty or stained clothes, and flip flops or sandals.

What Should You Wear?

If you are unsure what to wear, here is a good guideline to follow: Women can never go wrong with a nice dress or skirt and dress shirt combination. However, you can get away with a pair of tan or blank pants and a plain dress shirt. Men can never go wrong with a pair of black or tan pants and a shirt and tie. However, you can get away with a plain polo style shirt with limited designs and no logos.

Selling yourself to a company is not as easy as it seems. You need all your convincing power in order to persuade the employer that you are the right person for the job position. Since some people are not as skilled in verbal communication as others, they need all the possible job interviews tips and help they can get in order to get the job they wanted.

Every job seeker could use a few tips on how to do better in an interview. These tips are created to improve the way you answer your job interview questions. They also function as a guide to prepare themselves before, during and after an interview. So if you truly want to master the art of the interview, seek some of the most important tips online. Here are a few tips to help you achieve interview success.

Remember to practice. This is one of the most important tips to take to heart. Try
to practice answering some of the interview questions that you think may come up in the interview process. You can find hundreds of sample interview questions online and can practice answering them with friends or on your own.

– Come well prepared. Another basic tip is preparation because you cannot master the interview if you come in unprepared. The quality result of the job interviews depends on the preparation you made. When you are well prepared, you will sound natural and professional during the job interview. Part of this preparation includes knowing the name of the person who will be interviewing you, knowing about the company, and compiling a portfolio of your scholastic and work achievements.

– Be ready and be on time. It is crucial that you arrive on time or early for the interview. Also, make sure that your outfit for the interview is ready the day before the job interview. It should be neatly pressed and clean. You want to look professional and put together for the interview and be on time and ready to begin.

– Be confident and Stay Calm. If you are able to stay calm, your confidence will show naturally and you can easily listen to the interview questions. In turn, you can think clearly on formulating your answers. Also, never forget to make eye contact and smile during your interview, the interviewer will look for subtle clues to your personality during the process and you want to show your best side.

– Do a follow up. Even if you do not get the job be sure to send your interviewer a thank you note for his or her time. Your interviewer will appreciate this and may give you another chance if a job opening comes up in the future.

The competition for jobs is becoming tougher each day, especially in this economy. However, with research, preparation, and practice you’ll be able to land an interview and hopefully land a job.

In the current economy, a lot of people are doing a job search who haven’t done so in decades. If you thought you were going to be with your former company until you retired and are now facing the pounding of the pavement, it can be really rough. Here are some helpful tips for you:

Take advantage of career counselling

Many companies who lay off employees will offer career counselling as part of your severance package. You might think it’s unnecessary but with the reality of some job postings receiving hundreds of applicants, you need every opportunity possible to stand apart in a crowd. Career counselling can help you get from the tall pile to the short list of resumes when the perfect job presents itself. They’ll help you with resume preparation, interviewing tips, job search, etc.

Interviews are Good Practice

Some people are so panicked about getting a job in their job search that they send out so many resumes in the hopes for an offer that they suddenly find themselves getting calls for jobs they’re really not all that interested in. If you get called for an interview for a job you’re not all that gung-ho about and it’s early days of job searching, consider going on the interview anyway. Every interview you do will help prepare and fine-tune your interviewing skills and your resume.

If it has been many years since you had an interview, it’ll do good to answer questions, especially if you’re not all that interested in the job. The good thing about going on a job interview you don’t think you really want the job for is that you won’t be overly nervous.

Open-mindedness

Of course you don’t want to be unfair and waste anyone’s time but you never know — once you get in the room with the human resources specialist, you might find that you actually are interested in that job after all. Open-mindedness can be essential in reinventing yourself after losing a job. Fear and trepidation about being the new guy or gal can be overwhelming but with each interview, you’ll get a better sense of how to position yourself so that you do get a second interview or an offer letter.

Read resumes / CV’s

Reading through other peoples’ resumes (many job search sites list resumes as well as job postings) can help you fine tune your own. Today, most resumes are only a page or two with a short cover letter. Even if you’ve got thirty years of experience in your trade, you’ll need to condense that so that you can grab the attention of the person scanning dozens of resumes for things that stand out as extraordinary. There are websites and books dedicated to helping you put together a winning resume that’s not too boastful and not too inflated while also being attention-grabbing.

Being laid off is a difficult life-event that more people than ever are having to face. Your job search efforts may be difficult for you but there are many tools and resources that are designed to help you through the process.a

Your resume is extremely important. Think about it. In the span of a few pages, you need to convey that YOU are worthy of at least being considered for that job vacancy. It really doesn’t matter if you are applying for a manager job or an executive position, what’s important is that the resume contents and resume layout fit the position at hand. Sadly, many ruin their chances at job success because they cannot format their resumes properly. Don’t be one of them. Follow our resume tips and you’ll get the chance you deserve.

Resume Tips to Help you Get that Job Interview Call

Before you go on your hunt for great job interview tips, you should first focus on writing a great resume. After all, the job interview will come IF your resume says you deserve it.

Your resume is really your ‘first impression’ and just like any real, one-on-one interview, it’s important that your resume conveys the right ‘image’. For instance, an executive resume is best presented with a cover letter outlining the highlights of your career. For the succeeding pages, it’s best to list your work experience in reverse chronological order (i.e., most recent first). For mid-level positions, a cover letter is not really required. For new graduates, it’s best to start your resume with your educational attainment and any related ‘on-the-job’ training or seminars even if you are currently employed.

Apart from the above, you can’t go wrong with using a clear, easy-to-read font like Times New Roman 10 pt or 12 pt. Also, assuming you send in your resume via email, use general Word processing software like Microsoft Word. Don’t use the latest version as it may not yet be used by those handling recruitments, rending your resume un-openable and thus, useless.

Resume Tip No. 2 – Include a no B.S. executive summary.

Job recruiters get really annoyed when they’re fed with Executive Summaries that are VAGUE. The Executive Summary must answer the question on why you are the best candidate for the job. The best resume layout for this would be to enumerate your skills in a bulleted list. Each skill should be written so that it clearly shows how that skill makes you a perfect fit for the job vacancy in particular, and the company in general.

Resume Tip No. 3 – Do NOT lie.

Who doesn’t embellish his resume to get that job interview? That’s true… but don’t exaggerate to the point of lying either. For instance, you know that figures are great in resumes, but don’t say “Managed a $50 million dollar publishing project…” if it you cannot back up that figure. Don’t forget that job recruiters, especially for managerial and executive positions, really do check up with previous employers.

Resume Tip No. 4 – What about online resumes?

A great resume tip that doesn’t cost anything at all is to view sample online resumes! There’s a lot of information out there for different types of resumes with samples to boot so do give them a try. Apart from free samples, there are also ready-to-use online resume templates you can purchase where all you need to do is just ‘fill out the blanks’. If you opt for this, just ensure that the template really fits your resume needs.

Resume Tip No. 5 – Hire a professional resume writer.

When all else fails, or if you don’t have the time, or the job is simply too important that you want to go in with your BEST chance at landing a job interview, then by all means, get the services of a professional resume writer. Not everybody is blessed with having that special way with words so a professional CV writer can definitely help you. Note too that such a person can help you ‘smooth out’ some job history problems you may have such as employment gaps or ‘job hopping’ trends (i.e., moving from one job to another in relative short periods of time).

When it comes top writing resumes, you should always put your best foot forward so you get called for that job interview. Hopefully, the resume tips we’ve provided here helps you achieve exactly that.

If you are in need of a job, you might not consider job searching a waste of time. It is vital that you start obtaining a steady paycheck; therefore, any work and effort put into a job search is time well-spent. With that said, thousands of job seekers make simple, but time consuming mistakes. Yes, each simple mistake or oversight might only lead to a minute or two of wasted time, but that time can easily add up.

To ensure your job search goes off without a hitch and to ensure you don’t waste a moment of time, here are some helpful tips:

Job Search Tip: Search Multiple Career Sites at Once

It is recommended that you search as many career sites as possible. This is due to the fact that not all companies use Monster.com or CareerBuilder.com. By only searching one job website, you limit yourself.

On that same note, you waste time if you are searching multiple job search sites separately. There are a number of computer applications, as well as smart phone apps, that enable you to search all the best career sites at once; with one search. It can take hours to search site #1, then search site #2, then site #3, and so forth.

Job Search Tip: Write Down all Jobs You Apply For and When

You might be surprised how many job seekers apply for the same job two or three times. Most of these duplicate applications or resumes are by mistake. Either way, they waste time. It is also important to note that hiring managers dislike duplicate resumes and job applications as well; it does not create a good impression.

By writing down all the jobs you applied for, you are aware. Keep in mind the date. If a company post a job for an office manager on Monday, but a new listing appears on Friday (same exact listing), they may be doing this to bump the job listing so it appears higher in the search results. If it is still the same position, don’t apply again.

However, lets say your notes say you applied for that office manager job two months ago and the listing is reappearing. Apply again. Likely, the company hired an office manager and their new-hire didn’t pan out.

Job Search Tip: Keep Your Resume Easily Accessible

If you are in the mist of a job search, your resume should always be within reach of your fingertips. When applying for jobs online, easily access your resume from your computer. Store it in your “My Documents” with a good name “Adnan Resume.” You don’t need to waste five minutes or more searching your computer for your resume because you know it is saved…somewhere.

The same holds true for printed resumes. Job seekers should always be prepared to apply for jobs. Maybe you are at the dentist and see a “now hiring secretary” sign. If you have a printed copy of your resume in your car, you can apply. There is no need to waste time and money to return home, print your resume, and return back to the office to apply.

As mentioned above, these are simple steps that can save you time. Remember, even saving 5 minutes of time in your job search is worthwhile because those 5 minutes can easily add up to hours over the course of a month.